Hilo’s Wong Makes St. Louis’ NLDS Roster

Kolten Wong will get his first taste Thursday of what St. Louis Cardinals fans and players have been immersed in for the last two seasons.

The Cardinals announced their roster Wednesday for the 2013 National League Division Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which included the rookie Wong.

St. Louis won the National League Central division with a record of 97-65, tied for the best record in Major League Baseball. The Cardinals’ opponent in the best-of-five series is the Pittsburgh Pirates, who finished three games behind St. Louis in the standings.

Wong was not an easy pick to make the NLDS roster. The Kamehameha-Hawai`i alum struggled to find regular playing time down the stretch as his batting average fell. He hit .153 in 32 games for the Cardinals, collecting only nine hits in 59 at-bats.

Defensively, the Hilo-born Wong has yet to commit an error in limited time at second base. He started only three games in the month of September and played defense in a total of nine contests. He was predominantly used as a pinch hitter down the season’s home stretch.

The series kicks off Thursday at 11 a.m. All games can be heard on ESPN Radio, AM 850 in Hilo and AM 790 in Kona, and seen on TBS.